Bangladesh

Location: Habiganj, Sunamganj, and Kishoreganj Districts in northeast Bangladesh
Duration: 2020 - 2025
Funding: KGF
Partners: BRRI

In the Haor areas (low-lying marshlands) of Bangladesh, boro has been the most important crop, with BRRI dhan-28 and BRRI dhan-29 being the most grown varieties accounting for over 90% of the cultivation in this region. The average growth durations of BRRI dhan-28 and BRRI dhan-29 are 140 and 160 days, respectively, and these are usually harvested between mid-April and mid-May. However, recently, the Haor areas have been experiencing early-season flash floods almost every year, usually in the first week of April. These  completely inundate mature rice right before harvest, causing massive losses for farmers and posing threats on the food security and livelihood of the people. In order to escape from early-season flash foods, crops need to be planted early and harvested by the end of March which requires cold tolerance in the crop at the reproductive stage. However, currently there are no rice varieties with cold tolerance at the reproductive stage.  The development and promotion of improved rice varieties with shorter growth duration (120-140 days),higher yield (6-7 t/ha ) and cold tolerance at the seedling and reproductive stages can overcome the early-season flash flood problems in rice farming  in the Haor areas . Therefore, the overarching objectives of this project is to improve the livelihoods of the farmers of this region by developing and promoting cold-tolerant and high-yielding rice varieties with shorter growth duration in the boro season. The project also examines the livelihoods and  market systems  in  the Haor areas for product targeting. Expected outcomes include at least two promising lines and 30,000 breeding lines, product profiles of rice varieties, data and evidence about livelihoods and market systems in  the Haor areas , and generated evidence for rice breeding.

Location: All of Bangladesh
Duration: 2020 - 2025
Funding: USAID
Partners: Five private agri-business companies in Bangladesh (Aftab Bahumukhi Farms Ltd., Ispahani Seed Ltd., Lal Teer Seeds Ltd., Metal Agro Ltd., and Supreme Seeds Ltd.)

Bangladesh’s current status as the fourth  largest rice-producing country in the world is attributed to the widespread, nationwide use of improved varieties, irrigation, mechanization, better crop management, and enabling policies. But, there are still significant  production potentials to be tapped if  greater use of quality seeds could be ensured. The annual production of quality seeds of rice by the public and private sectors combined is less than half of what is required in Bangladesh. Use of quality seeds alone could result in an immediate increase in the annual average yield of rice by 10-15%, although  it would be difficult for the government alone to bridge that gap. This is where the private sector can play a role by accounting for a majority share of the quality seeds production. The IRRI-PPP aims to enhance rice-breeding capacities of the private sector and improve the commercialization process for developed varieties to increase availability and adoption of market-driven superior rice varieties in Bangladesh. The IRRI- PPP Platform will enable the private sector to develop demand-driven superior inbred and hybrid rice varieties, develop business models to produce and market quality seeds, and rapidly commercialize their own bred varieties. These interventions will contribute to achieve sustainable agricultural productivity growth and rural transformation. To know more about the project, click here.

Location: Khulna District in southwestern Bangladesh (Polders 22, 29, 30 and 32/4 part)
Duration: 2020 - 2023
Funding: USAID
Partners: Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Institute of Water Modelling (IWM), 
Shushilan, Kansas State University (KSU)  and Arkansas State University (ASU), USA.

The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification (SIIL), headquartered at KSUsupports the Feed the Future goals of reducing global hunger, poverty and undernutrition. Since 2015, KSU and IRRI, in collaboration with SIIL and other national research and development agencies have been working in the coastal zones of Bangladesh. In phase I (2015-2019), the project focused on unlocking the production potential of polder communities and building their resilience to climate change in coastal Bangladesh through improved resource use efficiency and diversified cropping systems. Building on this, the ongoing SIIL-Polder Phase II (2020-2023) is targeting to map  pathways of scaling agricultural innovations for sustainable intensification in the polders of coastal Bangladesh. The overall goal of the project is to improve food security, human nutrition, and livelihoods of the rural polder communities in southern Bangladesh through scaling and evaluating pragmatic and feasible farming approaches for more efficient utilization of available land and water resources to sustainably intensify the agricultural production systems of polders. Target participants include 10,000 members from the local farming community, 1,000 members of the water management organizations and Union Parishad, 500 women and youths engaged in agri-mechanization, 50 government and NGO officials and 3 postgrad students. It is expected that at the end of the project, livelihoods of rural households in the three target polders will improve as a result of the adoption of more productive and profitable production system options with increased resource use efficiency.

Location: BRRI regional stations
Duration: 2019 - 2023
Funding: BMGF 
Partner: BRRI

In the past five decades, rice production in Bangladesh increased over 3.5 times, which was largely driven by the development and adoption of improved rice varieties. IRRI has been supporting Bangladesh in  developing  improved rice varieties.  Most of the mega varieties currently grown by farmers are more than 20 years old. The new varieties have not been successful in replacing  the existing popular varieties. In Phase 1 of the BRRI-TRB project, a series of deep programmatic and managerial changes were implemented to accelerate the rate of genetic gain in rice productivity. For example, breeding cycle lengths were reduced , the accuracy of breeding line selection improved, application of modern methods of breeding information management initiated, and large-scale on-farm testing were launched. To cement the progress made in Phase 1 and ensure that a strong cadre of mid-career scientists is fully independent in their ability to manage state-of-the-art breeding pipelines, a 4-year Phase II  was initiated. With IRRI’s support, BRRI has replaced its slow and expensive pedigree breeding system with faster and less costly single-seed descent (SSD). BRRI has also begun to implement low-cost, high-throughput genotyping to allow selection for critical disease and stress resistances before beginning expensive agronomic testing. Phase 2 focuses on accelerating breeding cycles further, implementing genomics-based methods of choosing parents with high breeding value, fully implementing modern breeding informatics, and expanding on-farm testing and demand creation. These changes are also being institutionalized and extended to be sustained after the end of the project. By the end of Phase 2, BRRI will deliver genetic gains of at least 2% annually in rice production, which is a 10-time increase over the baseline.

Location: All of  Bangladesh 
Duration: 2018 - 2023
Funding: BMGF
Partners: National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES) and NGOs in Bangladesh

TAGGRi Alliance is the continuation of the rice breeding program activities of the Transforming Rice Breeding (TRB) Project and the Stress- Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) that were concluded in Bangladesh earlier. The ongoing AGGRi Alliance project aims to promote improved rice varieties by combining the outputs of the TRB  and STRASA projects, both funded by BMGF. AGGRi Alliance looks to emerge as a single initiative that will expand the STRASA testing networks into a globally aligned, modernized, rice breeding “community of practice,” unified by a set of standards for making breeding decisions consistent with the demands of regional farmers, consumers, and processors, as well as the empowerment of women in the value chain. One of the expected outcomes is developing a high-performing breeding network among the organizations underNARES across Africa and South Asia by linking them with the centralized, advanced breeding capacity of IRRI. The project stimulates the existing and new IRRI-NARES breeding networks (sets of institutions targeting similar geographies) to jointly develop sustainable breeding strategies based on carefully considered and agreed product profile parameters. Each network thus becomes collectively responsible for variety replacement within a target environment or market.

Location: Jashore, Narail, Jhenaidah, Chuadanga, Meherpur, Magura, Faridpur, Gopalganj, Shariatpur, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Nilphamari, and Rangpur Districts
Duration: 2015 - 2021
Funding: BMGF and USAID
Partners: CIMMYT, IFPRI, BRRI, DAE, BARI and ACCL

With financial support from BMGF and USAID, CSISA has been working as an eco-regional initiative to support agricultural development in South Asia (including Bangladesh) since 2009. As a science-driven and impact-oriented initiative, the project resides at the intersection of a diverse set of partners in the public and private sectors, occupying the “messy middle” where research meets development. By engaging with a network of partners, CSISA is built on the premise that transformative development typically requires not one single change, but the orchestration of several changes in agri-food systems. CSISA’s approach has evolved with time as partnerships have strengthened and the understanding of geographically differentiated entry points and scaling logic has matured. Phase III (2015–2021) focused on ensuring that partners in the public and private sectors are better poised to sustainably contribute to change by addressing areas of systemic weaknesses. The overarching goal of CSISA Phase III is to support the widespread adoption of sustainable intensification technologies to spur inclusive agricultural growth, both within the time horizon of investment and beyond. CSISA aims to use sustainable intensification technologies and management practices to enhance the productivity of cereal-based cropping systems, increase farm incomes, and reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint. The expected outputs of the project include improving productivity, expanding markets, increasing investment, and enhancing resilience to climate change in the agriculture sector.

Location: Bangladesh
Duration: 2012 - 2022
Funding: BMGF 
Partner: BRRI

Bangladesh has achieved self-sufficiency in food production but malnutrition is still a big challenge. Rice, being the staple food in Bangladesh and the most important source of dietary energy and nutrition for the poor, can have a significant impact on human health if the micronutrient content of the rice grains can be increased even by small amounts. IRRI is closely working withBRRI in  the development and deployment of healthier rice varieties to improve the nutritional status of the poor in Bangladesh. These healthier rice varieties include beta-carotene enriched Golden Rice, high-iron and -zinc rice (HIZR), and a stacked vitamin A, iron, and zinc rice. Genetic engineering techniques are used in biofortification when the micronutrient content of rice cannot be significantly increased through conventional practices. IRRI and BRRI have been developing and planning to deploy biofortified rice varieties that can help address micronutrient deficiencies by providing 30-50% of the estimated average requirement of vitamin A, 30% of iron and 40% of zinc for  women and children. These healthier rice varieties are intended as a complementary food-based solution to existing nutritional interventions. The development of the biofortified rice varieties is conducted in full compliance with national and international biosafety regulations. The expected output of the project is to develop and promote healthier rice varieties.

Location: The Barind area of Bangladesh
Duration: 2021 - 2024
Funding: Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), Massachusett Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
Partner: Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), Bangladesh and Tufts University (USA)

Rice is one of the most water intensive crops. Groundwater extraction for rice irrigation requires significant energy---most often electricity and occasionally diesel fuel. Therefore, using water more efficiently in rice irrigation has the potential to both preserve groundwater and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are generated from pumping. But interventions to promote groundwater conservation are complicated by the fact that many farmers do not face marginal prices for water. They, instead, pay seasonal charges that are flat or based on acreage, regardless of how much water they extract. Recent Randomized Control Trial research experimental evidence finds that one such intervention, AWD, saves electricity and benefits farmers only when they are buying water by the hour of pumping. AWD is an inexpensive and easy-to-use tool that helps farmers observe soil moisture and irrigate based on crop water needs. The main objective of this study is to generate evidence to improve the targeting of government extension and training efforts around AWD. In particular, the project will assemble administrative data from northwestern Bangladesh to identify places where most farmers are purchasing water using their own hourly irrigation cards. These data can be used to assist government extension services in prioritizing their efforts to scale AWD. The expected outputs of the project include impact evidence about the role of irrigation prepaid cards and recommend suitable policies to promote AWD technology.

Location: Rangpur and Patuakhali Districts 
Duration: 2018 - 2021
Funding: USAID
Partners: BARI and BRRI

More than eight million people live in the charlands of Bangladesh and most of them eke out livelihoods from agriculture, which is highly vulnerable  to climatic stresses such as flood, drought, salinity, river and coastal erosion, moisture stress, and tropical cyclones. The changing climate amplifies these problems and makes charland livelihoods precarious. Several climate-smart agricultural technologies (e.g., crops and varieties) and management practices (e.g., crop management, soil and water management, and cropping system) have been developed. The adoption and adaptation of climate-smart agriculture options can significantly reduce negative effects of and build resilience to climate change. The main objective of this USAID-funded Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER)  Project is to understand charland households’ vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, and to promote climate-smart agriculture that fosters households’ livelihoods and resilience to climate change. The main expected outcomes of the project are higher agricultural productivity, improved food and nutrition security, higher farm income, increased resilience to climate change, improved social equity, improved capacity building of farmers, and improved knowledge on agriculture and livelihoods in the charlands.

Location: (Sunamganj, Habiganj, Sylhet, Kishoreganj, Netrokona and Jashore Districts
Duration: July-December 2021
Funding: CGIAR COVID-19 Hub 
Partner: International Potato Center and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU)

The impact of COVID-19 on agricultural value chains has been severely disruptive in both developed and developing countries including Bangladesh. Governments and actors within agricultural value chains have adopted various measures, approaches, and technologies to adapt to the disruptions caused by the pandemic. Anecdotal evidence shows that some of these interventions have been very successful in  minimizing the disruption in the food value chain. These adaptation measures including their successes, failures, and lessons are not well documented. This study aims to close this knowledge gap. The objectives of this research are to (i) document measures, approaches, and technologies applied by government and actors in three agricultural value chains in Bangladesh and (ii) assess the performance and effectiveness of policy measure and e-technology adopted by the “hidden middle”. The study focuses on rice, fish, and potato, three of the most important agricultural food and cash crops in Bangladesh.